The size of integrated circuits is continually decreasing with advancements in fabrication technology, and the size of individual components of the integrated circuits are also decreasing. The results of some established manufacturing processes change when applied to components that are smaller than a break-point size. One common integrated circuit manufacturing step is to fill a trench with a fill material. In many cases, the fill material is deposited within the trench using a desublimation process, such as chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition. As the size of the trench decreases below a break-point size, gaps tend to form within the fill material, perhaps due to the limited amount of space available for the fill material and the dynamics of material deposition within the trench. Very narrow gaps with high aspect ratios are particularly susceptible to gap formation in the fill material. The resulting gaps tend to be inconsistent in size and shape.
The gaps in the fill material may produce a variety of undesirable effects. For example a gap in a sacrificial component decreases the structural stability of that sacrificial component, so mechanical processes can damage adjacent features when the sacrificial component fails. Fin field effect transistors (FinFETS) may be formed with a sacrificial “dummy gate” overlying them, where the dummy gate fills the trench between adjacent fins of the FinFET. Dummy gates with gaps in the fill material are less structurally sound than dummy gates without gaps or with smaller gaps in the fill material, and some mechanical and chemical processing steps may produce breaks in dummy gates with gaps in the fill material, but not in dummy gates without gaps or with minimal gaps in the fill material. When a dummy gate breaks, it no longer structurally supports the adjacent fins, and sometimes the fins will also break during mechanical processes, such as chemical mechanical planarization. FinFETs with broken fins do not function properly. Furthermore, inconsistent gap size in a sacrificial component may increase or alter the etch rate, so one dummy gate may expose an underlying layer to more etchant than another. This variable etchant exposure may change the dimensions of the underlying layers in an inconsistent manner, which decreases the reliability or causes failure of the resulting integrated circuit. Gaps in a permanent component also tend to be inconsistent in volume and shape, so the performance of circuits with components having gaps is inconsistent. Inconsistent performance is undesirable and can lead to integrated circuit failure.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide integrated circuits with filled trenches that have an absence of gaps or minimal gaps in the fill material, and methods for producing the same. In addition, it is desirable to provide integrated circuits with filled trenches free of gaps, where the trenches have narrow widths and high aspect ratios, and methods of manufacturing the same. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.